A decision to allow jumps racing to continue in Victoria has been met with relief from the sport's participants, but disappointment from animal rights groups.Many of the state's 27 jumps jockeys waited anxiously at the offices of Racing Victoria Limited (RVL) on Monday for the decision on whether they still had a job.Three horse deaths at the recent Warrnambool carnival had prompted protests from animal rights groups demanding the sport be banned.Leading rider Steven Pateman said the RVL decisio

A decision to allow jumps racing to continue in Victoria has been met with relief from the sport's participants, but disappointment from animal rights groups.

Many of the state's 27 jumps jockeys waited anxiously at the offices of Racing Victoria Limited (RVL) on Monday for the decision on whether they still had a job.

Three horse deaths at the recent Warrnambool carnival had prompted protests from animal rights groups demanding the sport be banned.

Leading rider Steven Pateman said the RVL decision to continue jumps racing with a series of changes including the trialling of strand starts would be good for the industry.

"I think the strand starts will work. You can switch a horse off and really teach him to settle," he said.

Pateman said the mentality of Australians regarding pulling tired horses out of a race had to change.

"Anywhere else in the world if you don't pull up a distressed horse they will hang you out to dry," he said.

"Not so much recently but in the past, they would say 'that bloke must be terrified' if you pulled a horse out of a race. It's just a mentality."

Rodney Rae, president of the Australian Jumps Racing Association, welcomed the result but admitted the sport would now be under even more scrutiny.

"We support the initiatives put forward by RVL in their on-going commitment to safety," Rae said.

"There is a bigger onus on everyone. I think a lot more scrutiny will be placed on rider, horse and trainer going forward as there should be."

The AJRA and industry participants were after an undertaking jumps racing would continue for three or four years.

"The jumping component has been knocked around in recent years and confidence is down and a longer term commitment, which would have got confidence back into the industry, is not going to be there," Rae said.

But RVL chairman Michael Duffy said the board was not prepared to give any such guarantee with a full review to be held at the end of the 2009 jumps racing season as stipulated in the Jones Report.

Victorian Advocates for Animals, which has spearheaded campaigns against the sport, said the Racing Victoria board was out of touch with community attitudes.

"Racing Victoria has just postponed the inevitable - horses will continue to fall and die and the community will continue to be appalled," spokesman Lawrence Pope said.

RSPCA Victorian president Hugh Wirth said the animals' deaths had been in vain and the sport was little more than "legalised animal cruelty".

Des O'Keeffe, executive of the Australian Jockeys Association, said there was an enormous onus on jockeys regarding safety.

"It's been made very clear that the onus is on us to work with trainers, stewards and the jumps review panel," he said.

For the people in the town of Warrnambool, a jumping stronghold, the decision is a lifeline.

"We are ecstatic with the decision. Warrnambool will be jumping tonight," Warrnambool Racing Club chief executive Andrew Pomeroy said.

"The club sees a bright future for jumping racing and it is an integral part of racing in Warrnambool."

"I think there is a fair bit on the line for our community and our community really embraces it."

He was positive about the seven recommendations in the interest of safety made by the board.

"They will take some time to take place and to get them into a position where they are actually benefitting the jockeys and the horses out there," Pomeroy said.